IELTS Writing
IELTS writing is different for both the general and academic tests, take a look at some tips and information about the writing section here.
Writing Information
- The Writing section lasts for 60 minutes
- The listening is split into 2 sections
- Part 1 – 150 words
- Academic – Based on a chart, with data
- General – Writing a letter
- Part 2 – over 250 words
- Academic – Formal essay
- Same as academic, with an easier topic.
- Part 1 – 150 words
- All numbers count as 1 word
- task 1 – 33%/ Task 2 – 66%
- There is a word count limit for each set of questions.
- You will be assessed on:
- Task Response 25%
- Coherence & Cohesion 25%
- Vocabulary 25%
- Grammar 25%
Try some other IELTS sections:
Try some IELTS Writing questions
Tips
How much to write? – Aim for around 170-190 for task 1 and 270 and 290 for task 2
Task 1 tense – Use the task to guide you, if you see dates in the task then use them to inform what tense you should use
Passive/Active – Use a mixture of both.
Plan – Make sure you spend around 5 minutes planing the main ideas and structure of your essay, think about the question, main points, most important points, supporting points, structure.
How many paragraphs? – Try to aim for around 4/5 paragraphs. Intro, body (2/3 paragraphs) conclusion.
Opinion – Only give your opinion if asked, and then make sure you do if you are asked about your opinion.
Last minutes – Use the last few minutes to check for spelling, punctuation, capital letter and any other SMALL mistakes you can find.
Paragraph indent – Missing a line is better than leaving an indent.
Mistakes – you can strike out mistakes or add words with a ^ symbol, but make sure it is easy to read.
Idioms – No, do not use idioms or proverbs in your essays.